Bangladesh: Country Report | 2024

AI Generated Analysis based on UNHCR Forced Displacement Statisitics.

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Executive Summary

Of course. Here is the ‘Key Trends’ executive summary.

TO: Donors, Press, Member States FROM: The High Commissioner for Refugees SUBJECT: Key Trends in Forced Displacement – Bangladesh 2024 Report

A crisis of immense scale and endurance continues to unfold in Bangladesh, which remains at the forefront of the global refugee response. The country hosts over one million refugees, a population comprised almost entirely of Rohingya who have sought sanctuary from persecution in Myanmar. This is not a static emergency; the refugee population grew by over 33,000 people last year alone, driven by natural increase. A generation is being born into displacement, creating a profoundly youthful demographic with urgent and escalating needs for education, health, and protection.

The humanitarian implications of this protracted situation are stark. Bangladesh, a low- and middle-income country, continues to shoulder a disproportionate responsibility, with its national protection capacity almost entirely dedicated to this single crisis. The asylum system, like many worldwide, is under unprecedented strain, evidenced by growing backlogs. While Bangladesh rightly applies a prima facie approach to Rohingya, the global picture for those displaced from the region is precarious, highlighting an urgent need for more consistent and equitable asylum processes globally.

Most critically, pathways to durable solutions remain almost entirely closed. For the sixth consecutive year, zero voluntary returns were recorded, as conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to a safe and dignified return. Concurrently, opportunities for resettlement or local integration are negligible. This profound gap between the immense need and the available solutions has created a crisis of hope, locking millions in a state of indefinite limbo.

The generosity of Bangladesh and the resilience of the Rohingya people cannot be taken for granted. Without a renewed and vigorous commitment from the international community to share this responsibility—through robust funding for the humanitarian response and the creation of tangible third-country solutions—this protracted crisis risks becoming a forgotten one, with devastating consequences for a generation that knows no home but a refugee camp.

Population Overview

Population Overview

The data from Bangladesh reveals a country shouldering an immense responsibility, hosting one of the world’s largest and most protracted refugee situations. The overwhelming majority of the population of concern are refugees and stateless persons, with the refugee figure alone surpassing one million people by the start of 2024. This caseload is almost exclusively comprised of Rohingya who have sought safety from persecution in neighbouring Myanmar, a situation that has remained at a critical scale since the major influx in 2017.

Behind these stark numbers lies a profoundly youthful demographic. Analysis of the population structure shows a pyramid with a very wide base, indicating that children and adolescents form the largest cohorts. The high proportion of individuals in the 0-4 and 5-11 age groups underscores a high dependency ratio and signals urgent, long-term needs for child protection, education, and maternal and child health services for a generation being born into displacement.

The crisis is not static; it continues to grow from within. The data reveals that between the start of 2023 and 2024, the refugee population increased by more than 33,000 individuals. This rise is attributed primarily to natural increase, as births outpace deaths within the camps. This internal growth further compounds the challenges faced by the host community and humanitarian actors.

Crucially, the prospect of durable solutions remains distant. For the sixth consecutive year, official data recorded zero voluntary returns of refugees, highlighting the entrenched nature of their displacement. This lack of solutions, combined with the growing population, reinforces the long-term reliance on the hospitality of Bangladesh and the critical need for sustained international support to meet escalating humanitarian needs.

Demographics

AI Insight: Treemap of the Population of Concern in Bangladesh by type, where refugees and stateless persons constitute the vast majority of the 2.56 million total., This treemap visualizes the composition of the 2,556,000 individuals classified as ‘Population of Concern’ in Bangladesh as of 2024. The data is segmented into seven distinct population types, with the area of each rectangle representing the proportion of that group relative to the total.

The distribution is heavily skewed, dominated by two large groups which are contextually understood to be Rohingya. The largest category accounts for 1,005,602 individuals, and the second-largest accounts for 775,080 individuals. Together, these two groups represent the overwhelming majority of the population of concern, a direct consequence of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

In stark contrast, the remaining five categories are numerically insignificant. The median population size for a category is only 35 individuals. The statistical data also confirms that there are zero individuals recorded under the ‘Returned refugees’ and ‘Returned IDPs’ categories for this period. The visualization effectively highlights that UNHCR’s operational focus in Bangladesh is concentrated on two exceptionally large displaced populations.

AI Insight: Population pyramid of forcibly displaced and stateless people in Bangladesh by age and gender, where the population is characterized by a large youth cohort, with the highest proportions seen in the youngest age groups., This population pyramid displays the age and gender distribution for the 7,521,751 individuals of concern to UNHCR in Bangladesh as of 2024. The chart is structured with age cohorts on the vertical axis and the percentage of the population on the horizontal axis, with males on the left and females on the right.

The overall population is nearly balanced in gender, with females comprising approximately 51.5% and males 48.5% of the total. The pyramid’s shape, with a very wide base and a narrow top, is characteristic of a youthful population with high fertility rates.

Key statistical observations include: - Youth Dominance: The largest segments of the population are in the youngest age brackets (0-4 and 5-11 years), indicating a high dependency ratio. - Age Distribution: The proportion of the population decreases significantly with increasing age. The elderly cohort (60 and over) is the smallest, representing only 1.8% of females and 2.4% of males at minimum. - Gender-Specific Distribution: Across the five age groups, the proportion of females ranges from a low of 1.8% to a high of 24.5% in a single cohort. For males, the range is from 2.4% to 20.3%. The concentration in the youngest age groups highlights the critical need for child protection, education, and maternal and child health services.

Geography & Movements

Regional Focus: Displacement Dynamics in and from Bangladesh

The displacement landscape connected to Bangladesh presents a dual narrative of the country as both a major host nation and a significant country of origin, with data from 2024 revealing dynamics of profound concentration in both respects.

As one of the world’s foremost host countries, Bangladesh provides refuge to over one million people, a population almost entirely composed of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The data starkly illustrates that this single group, numbering 1,005,561, constitutes over 99.9% of the refugee population, dwarfing the small numbers of individuals from other origins such as Afghanistan and Somalia. The protracted nature of this crisis is further underscored by longitudinal data from 2019 to 2025, which shows this large displaced population remaining consistently high. This signifies an enduring and immense humanitarian responsibility borne by Bangladesh, with its protection capacity almost entirely dedicated to this single, large-scale situation.

Simultaneously, Bangladesh is a country of origin for forcibly displaced populations who have sought protection abroad. The data reveals a pattern of highly concentrated settlement. While individuals are found in 62 destination countries, the distribution is profoundly uneven. The median number of displaced persons per host country is just 35, indicating that half of these nations host only a handful of individuals. Behind these stark numbers, the story is one of specific displacement corridors. A closer look at the top 10 destination countries shows a significant concentration, with the primary host country providing asylum to over 300,000 people. This highlights that the protection needs of forcibly displaced people from Bangladesh are concentrated in a few key states, requiring targeted engagement and support from the international community in those specific regions.

AI Insight: World map of destination countries for displaced persons from Bangladesh as of 2024, where the population is highly concentrated in a small number of host countries., This choropleth map illustrates the global distribution of 62 destination countries for refugees, asylum-seekers, and other persons of concern originating from Bangladesh, according to UNHCR data for 2024. The data reveals a highly skewed distribution. While the number of individuals per country ranges from 0 to 44,026, the median value is just 34.5. This indicates that half of the host countries have fewer than 35 individuals each. The mean of 1,933 is significantly influenced by outliers, highlighting that a few countries host the vast majority of this population. The top 25% of host countries have 190 or more individuals. Visually, the map emphasizes that the displacement from Bangladesh is not evenly spread globally but is concentrated in a few key locations, with most other nations hosting only minimal numbers.

Origin of Displaced Populations

AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of the number of refugees in Bangladesh by top countries of origin for 2024, where the population from Myanmar, at over 1 million, overwhelmingly constitutes the vast majority., This horizontal bar chart details the primary countries of origin for refugees residing in Bangladesh in 2024. The visualization starkly illustrates a significant disparity in the refugee population scales. The data is dominated by a single country of origin, Myanmar, which accounts for 1,005,561 refugees. This figure, representing the Rohingya population, makes up over 99.9% of the total refugees from the top origins shown. The bars for the other countries of origin—Afghanistan, Palestine, and Somalia—are comparatively minuscule, with populations in the dozens. According to the statistical summary, the median refugee count from these smaller groups is 18 people. The chart effectively highlights that while Bangladesh hosts a small number of refugees from various global conflicts, its humanitarian response is almost entirely focused on the protracted and large-scale Rohingya refugee crisis.

AI Insight: Alluvial diagram of the forcibly displaced population in Bangladesh by country of origin from 2019 to 2025, where the population from Myanmar consistently represents the overwhelming majority., This alluvial diagram tracks the number of forcibly displaced individuals in Bangladesh by their origin from 2019 to 2025. The data is categorized into three groups: Myanmar (Mya), Stateless (Sta), and Others (Oth).

The most striking feature of the visualization is the immense and stable population originating from Myanmar. This group constitutes a massive, wide flow across the years, indicating a consistent population size ranging from a median of approximately 867,000 to over 1.1 million people. This highlights a protracted and large-scale displacement situation.

In stark contrast, the flows for the ‘Stateless’ and ‘Others’ categories are exceptionally thin, representing a numerically insignificant portion of the total. The values for these groups are consistently very low throughout the entire period, with counts as low as 20 people, making them barely visible compared to the dominant Myanmar cohort.

Overall, the chart clearly communicates that the forcibly displaced population in Bangladesh is almost entirely composed of people from Myanmar, with the numbers remaining high and largely unchanged over the seven-year period shown.

Destination

AI Insight: Bar chart of the top 10 destination countries for forcibly displaced people from Bangladesh as of 2024, where the primary destination hosts over 300,000 individuals., This vertical bar chart details the primary destination countries for individuals forcibly displaced from Bangladesh, as recorded in 2024. The chart displays the top 10 countries of asylum, with the vertical axis representing the total number of displaced persons. The data reveals a significant disparity in distribution; the top destination country provides asylum to 309,853 individuals. The other nine countries host populations ranging from 30,512 to just under 215,000. The median number of displaced persons across these top 10 countries is approximately 140,811. This concentration in a few key countries highlights critical corridors of displacement from Bangladesh, informing UNHCR’s resource allocation and diplomatic efforts for refugee protection in these specific regions.

Asylum System

Asylum Systems Under Pressure

The effective functioning of national asylum systems remains the bedrock of the international protection regime, yet data from 2024 reveals these systems are facing unprecedented strain. The widening gap between the number of people seeking safety and the capacity to process their claims in a timely manner is a growing global concern, leading to significant backlogs and prolonging periods of uncertainty for millions. The situation in Bangladesh serves as a microcosm of these broader challenges and a testament to the complexities of refugee status determination (RSD).

The data reveals a system under considerable strain. An analysis of cumulative asylum applications versus decisions rendered in Bangladesh from 2020 to 2024 shows a progressively widening gap, indicating a growing backlog of pending cases. This trend underscores the immense pressure on national processing capacities and translates directly into longer waiting times for those in need of protection. Behind these stark numbers lies a complex procedural reality. An analysis of 772 RSD decisions in Bangladesh during 2024 traces the intricate pathways individuals must navigate, from initial application through various appeal and review stages to a final determination of their status.

Decision outcomes are heavily influenced by the context of displacement. In Bangladesh, for example, the 100 per cent recognition rate for asylum-seekers from Myanmar reflects the prima facie approach rightly applied to Rohingya refugees fleeing well-documented persecution. This stands in sharp contrast to the widely divergent outcomes for other nationalities seeking protection in the country.

Conversely, the data for Bangladeshi nationals seeking asylum abroad paints a different picture of the global protection landscape. Despite a high volume of decisions across the top ten countries of asylum, the median recognition rate for Bangladeshis was a mere 3.4 per cent, with outcomes varying dramatically from one host country to another. This highlights a critical global trend: an individual’s chance of receiving international protection is often contingent not only on their circumstances but also on the jurisdiction in which they apply. This disparity underscores the urgent need for a more consistent and harmonized approach to asylum adjudication worldwide, ensuring that all who flee danger have a fair and efficient opportunity to have their claim for safety heard.

AI Insight: Bar chart of asylum applications and decisions in Bangladesh from 2019 to 2024, where the number of cases fluctuates annually across different asylum stages, with a peak of 58 cases in one category., This bar chart provides a statistical overview of asylum applications and decisions in Bangladesh over a six-year period from 2019 to 2024. The data is disaggregated into three distinct asylum stages for each year. The total number of cases for any given stage and year ranges from 0 to 58. Statistically, the mean number of cases across all categories and years is approximately 18.7, with a median of 15. The standard deviation of 14.6 indicates significant variability in the annual figures. The chart allows for a comparison of trends over time, such as increases or decreases in new applications versus case decisions. A key contextual note is that under certain circumstances, one person may have more than one application, so the figures do not necessarily represent unique individuals.

AI Insight: Sankey diagram of Refugee Status Determination decision pathways in Bangladesh for 2024, where the flow of 772 cases is traced through various decision stages and outcomes., This Sankey diagram provides a detailed visualization of the outcomes for 772 Refugee Status Determination (RSD) decisions recorded in Bangladesh during 2024. The chart illustrates the flow of asylum cases through different stages of the legal process.

The diagram is structured with vertical axes representing distinct decision stages. Colored bands, or flows, connect these stages, with the width of each band being proportional to the number of individuals or cases it represents.

Based on the data profile, there are three main stages in the process shown. The flows track how the initial 772 decisions are distributed into different outcomes (e.g., recognized, rejected, otherwise closed) at the first instance, and how those specific groups progress through subsequent appeal or review stages to their final status. The analysis covers 60 unique pathways, with the number of decisions in a single pathway ranging significantly from 0 to 232, indicating that some outcomes are far more prevalent than others. This visualization allows for a clear understanding of the primary decision pathways and the overall recognition rates within the specified period and location.

AI Insight: Area chart of cumulative asylum applications versus decisions in Bangladesh from 2020 to 2024, where the widening area between the two lines illustrates a growing backlog of pending cases., This area chart provides a comparative view of the cumulative number of asylum applications registered and the number of first-instance decisions issued in Bangladesh for the period of 2020 to 2024. The horizontal axis represents the years, while the vertical axis shows the cumulative total count.

The chart plots two series: one for applications and one for decisions. The shaded area between these two lines visually represents the gap, or backlog, of pending cases. The data shows a clear trend where the cumulative number of applications consistently outpaces the number of decisions rendered. This has resulted in a progressively widening gap over the five-year period, indicating a significant and growing backlog in the asylum system.

From a UNHCR operational perspective, this trend signifies increasing pressure on processing capacity and translates to longer average waiting times for asylum seekers to receive a first-instance decision, prolonging their period of uncertainty. The visualization underscores the challenge of matching decision-making capacity with the inflow of new asylum claims in this context.

Recognition Rates

AI Insight: Vertical bar chart of refugee recognition rates by country of origin in Bangladesh for 2024, where applicants from Myanmar have a 100% recognition rate, the highest among all displayed nationalities., This vertical bar chart displays the refugee recognition rates in Bangladesh during 2024 for the top countries of origin, ranked by the total number of asylum decisions made. The analysis covers nine nationalities.

The data reveals a wide disparity in recognition rates. The overall average recognition rate across these groups is 68.6%, with a median of 56.9%. Notably, applicants from Myanmar, who represent the largest cohort with 462 total decisions, have a 100% recognition rate. This reflects the prima facie recognition of Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution. Other nationalities also show high recognition rates, with at least 25% of the origin countries having a 100% rate.

Conversely, the lowest recognition rate observed is 10.8%. The volume of decisions varies significantly, from a low of 5 to a high of 462. It is also important to note that no individuals were granted complementary protection in this dataset, meaning decisions resulted in either full refugee status or a negative outcome. This simplifies the total recognition rate to be identical to the refugee recognition rate.

AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of 2024 Refugee Recognition Rates for nationals from Bangladesh, where rates in the top 10 countries of asylum by decisions made vary significantly, from near zero to 53.8%., This horizontal bar chart displays the Refugee Recognition Rate for asylum seekers from Bangladesh in 2024. The data is presented for the top 10 countries of asylum, which are ranked based on the total number of asylum decisions made, not the recognition rate itself. Each bar represents a country, with its length corresponding to the percentage of positive refugee status decisions out of the total decisions for Bangladeshi nationals.

Statistically, the analysis covers 10 asylum countries where a total of 507,250 decisions were made on average per country, though the actual volume ranges from 9,243 to 161,140. The Refugee Recognition Rate shows extreme variability across these countries. While the average rate is 11.3%, the median is only 3.4%, indicating that most of these high-volume decision-making countries have very low recognition rates. The rates span from a minimum of 0.05% to a maximum of 53.8%. This significant discrepancy between the mean and median suggests that a few countries with higher recognition rates are skewing the average upwards.

When including complementary protection, the Total Recognition Rate is slightly higher, with a mean of 13.3%, but follows a similar distribution. The key insight from this visualization is that despite a large number of asylum applications from Bangladeshi nationals being processed in these 10 countries, the overall probability of recognition is low, and the outcome is highly dependent on the country of asylum.

Solutions

Durable Solutions

While the primary mandate of international protection is to safeguard those fleeing conflict and persecution, the ultimate goal remains the pursuit of durable solutions. Yet, as global displacement figures reach unprecedented levels, the path to a durable solution—be it voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement—remains elusive for the vast majority. The data reveals a profound and widening gap between the number of people in need of a solution and the opportunities available to them.

Behind the stark numbers of the forcibly displaced are millions of individual lives in limbo. While discrete successes occur, such as a single family being resettled or an individual achieving local integration, these often represent isolated data points against a vast landscape of need. They are stories of hope, but they do not constitute a meaningful trend, their rarity underscoring the systemic challenges that prevent solutions at scale.

This stark reality is illustrated by the situation in specific contexts. In Bangladesh, which hosts one of the largest refugee populations globally, data from 2019 to 2024 shows minimal, fluctuating numbers of new refugee status recognitions, with just 20 individuals recognized in the first half of 2024. More critically, for the entire period, data on durable solutions is completely unavailable. This significant information gap strongly indicates that such pathways are either non-existent or not systematically recorded at a meaningful scale for this population.

The absence of recorded solutions in major host countries is emblematic of a broader global paralysis. Conditions in many countries of origin remain unsafe for return, resettlement places offered by third countries fall drastically short of identified needs, and opportunities for local integration are severely constrained. Without a renewed commitment from the international community to share responsibility and create tangible opportunities, millions of refugees will continue to face the prospect of protracted displacement, their futures uncertain.

AI Insight: Text-based plot of a single data point, where a text label is positioned at coordinates (1,1)., This visualization is a text-based plot displaying a single data point on a two-dimensional coordinate system. The plot is presented without a title, subtitle, or labels for the X and Y axes. The underlying dataset consists of a single observation with two numeric variables, ‘x’ and ‘y’, both of which have the value 1. Consequently, all summary statistics for each variable (mean, median, minimum, maximum) are 1, and measures of variance are not applicable. The plot’s purpose is to render a text label at the specific coordinate point (1, 1). The actual content of the text is not specified in the metadata. Due to its minimalist nature, the plot’s meaning is entirely dependent on external context.

AI Insight: Line chart of refugee recognitions and solutions in Bangladesh from 2019 to 2024, where recognitions fluctuate annually and data for solutions is entirely unavailable., The chart, titled ‘How do refugee recognitions compare with available solutions?’, is intended to show a comparison between the number of individuals granted refugee status and those who found durable solutions in Bangladesh. The data spans from 2019 to 2024. The horizontal axis represents the years, and the vertical axis represents the count of individuals.

The visualization only displays data for ‘Refugee Recognitions’ as the data for ‘Solutions’ is completely missing for the entire period. This critical data gap prevents the intended comparison.

The annual data for refugee recognitions is as follows: - 2019: 10 - 2020: 19 - 2021: 0 - 2022: 10 - 2023: 16 - 2024: 20

The trend for recognitions shows variability, with a peak of 20 individuals in 2024 and a complete drop to zero in 2021. The most significant insight is the lack of available data on durable solutions, highlighting a major information gap.